June 5, 2011 Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club Clays Match Report

18 Guns Entered

 

     2 Ladies - Class won by Carrie Morton with a score of 20 + 2 + 3

           2nd Lady - Stephanie Stevens with a score of 20 + 2 + 1

 

     3 Juniors - Class won by Trian Tinner with a score of 44

         2nd Junior - won by Mary Stevens with a score of 40

         3rd Junior - Kirk Foreman with a score of 14

 

     10 Open Guns - Class won by Darren Foreman with a score of 47

          2nd Open - Jay Schoonmaker with a score of 46

          3rd Open - Brian Tinner with a score of 44

 

       8 Limited Guns - Class won by Hal Hansen with a score of 42 + 4

          2nd Limited - Steve Tinner with a score of 42 + 3

          3rd Limited - Todd Anderson with a score of 40

 

     Good afternoon Ladies & Gentlemen, and welcome back to Gig Harbor Sportsmans Club, and a beautiful Spring afternoon.

20 Guns showed up at the range this afternoon, and a Clays Match broke out.  We sure had a beautiful day for it, too.  The temperature in the range building was a warm 65 degrees, it was dry, and short sleeves were the order of the day.  Many thanks to our match staff for hosting such a successful series of matches each week.  Many thanks to our Match Director Chuck Nicodemus,  our Scorekeeper and DJ Doug McLean, and our Arrays Impressario, Darren Foreman.  I guess Chuck Treat must have gone back to Hawaii again, since he wasn't at the match today.  Darren had it under control though, and presented Page 3 of The Great Equalizer Series.  Before we get into the specifics of the match, our Match Director, Chuck Nicodemus, has some announcements.

 

     Effective with this match, No More Shutouts.  All competitors get credit for all the clays they break.  Only one shooter can break the Black Micro In The Middle, and that shooter will get the 5.  So, from now on if you break it, you get credit for it.  Now the 2nd announcement.  Open Class Shooters, Listen Up!  This one applies to you.  Starting next week, June 12, 2011, if you shoot an Open Gun in the Clays Match, you shoot at the micros.  The quality of the competition in the Open Class has improved to the point where everyone  has the ability to hit the micros, so from next week's match forward, all Open Class Competitors will be required to prove it.  Finally, one last announcement.............

 

     This one's on your shoulders, Mary Stevens.  No Clays Match Competitor can win but one class.  Last week Mary won the Junior Class, had high score for the Ladies Class, and placed 3rd in the Open Class.  Mary chose to take her win in the Junior Class, as our Match Director didn't want to encourage Mary to be picking on the entire field.  Mary placed 2nd in the Junior Class today, but Brian Tinner only beat her by 4 Clays, so she kept it close.  OK, let's get on to the match.

 

     Our Arrays Impressario, Darren Foreman brought us Page 3 of The Great Equalizer Series today.  Let's review it from the firing line.

 

Round 1

     The top rows start with an orange micro, followed by 2 Green Standards, ending with another orange micro.  The same pattern is repeated on the bottom row, and the effect is that of a Green Square inside an orange square.  If entered in the Open Class, the orange micros are your targets.  If entered in the Limited Class, it's the Green Standards.  Either way, if successful in breaking all of your primary targets, go to the center of the screen and engage the black micro in the middle.

 

Round 2

     The top row remains the same, but the bottom row now starts with a Green Standard, followed by an orange micro, with the pairing repeated.  If successful in breaking all of your primarys, move to the center of the screen and engage the black micro in the middle.

 

Round 3

     Now both the top rows and the bottom rows are the same, starting with Green Standards, followed by orange micros, with the pairing repeated.  If successful so far in this round,  head to the center of the screens and engage the black micro in the middle.

 

Round 4

     In this round the top rows start with a Green Standard, followed by 2 orange micros, followed by another Green Standard.  The bottom row now appears with a Green Standard followed by an orange micro, with the pairing repeated.  If thusfar successful, the black micro in the middle awaits.

 

Round 5

     For round 5, the pairings from round 1 are reversed.  Now both rows start with a Green Standard followed by 2 orange micros followed by a Green Standard.  If all your primarys are broken, the black micro in the middle awaits.  So let's see what the results look like today.

 

     In the Ladies Class, we have a tie between our two entrants, Carrie Morton & Stephanie Stevens, both having shot scores of 20.  Stephanie shot in the Open Class today, so her targets at 10yds were 4 orange micros.  Carrie Morton shot in the Limited Class, so her targets were 4 Green Standards.

Carrie & Stephanie are ready, and our Scorekeeper and DJ Doug McLean makes the call.  "Shooters to the line, load 5 rounds.  Shooters ready?

Fire!!  Carrie and Stephanie both light up the racks, thunder rolls, and when the dust settles and silence returns, both Stephanie and Carrie have broken two of their targets.  Let's try this again.  Once again Doug calls the shooters to the line and tells them to load 5 rounds.  Once again the screens are ready, as are

Stephanie and Carrie.  Once again, Doug asks if the shooters are ready, and once again Carrie & Stephanie are told to Fire!!  Once again Thunder Rolls,

then the dust settles, and silence returns to the range.  Once again the gallery looks out at the screens, but this time We Have A Winner.  Carrie Morton has broken 3 of her targets, while Stephanie has broken but 1.  String & Class to Carrie Morton and her Glock 19. 

 

     In the Junior Class, they kept it simple.  Brian Tinner was hot today, shooting a score of 44 with his Ruger .22 .  Mary Stevens shot a score of 40 and placed 2nd.  Our remaining Junior, Kirk Foreman, shot a score of 14. 

 

     In the Open Class we had 10 Entries, and the scores were CLOSE!!  Darren Foreman took the win with a score of 47.  Jay Schoonmaker was one target behind with a score of 46, and our class winning Junior, Brian Tinner placed 3rd with a score of 44.  Like I said, that was Close!!

 

     In the Limited Class, we had a tie score of 42 between this reporter, Hal Hansen and Steve Tinner.  We're going to have another Shootoff!!  This time all the screens stay at 10yds, but all the clays are now the orange micros.  Hal & Steve are called to the line and told to Load 5 Rounds.  Now they are both ready,

and our Scorekeeper and DJ makes the call to FIRE!!  The primary targets are all orange micros, and Hal hits all 4 of his, while Steve hits but 3.  Hal takes a shot at the black micro in the middle, to no avail.  After the thunder ebbs, the black micro in the middle is still there and the gallery swears it is laughing.

Well, in this instance 4 orange micros is enough to give the Limited Class Victory to Hal Hansen today.  Steve Tinner takes 2nd Limited with a score of 32 + 3, and Todd Anderson take 3rd Limited with a score of 40.  Those scores were pretty close as well. 

 

     OK Folks, that's it for this match.  Don't forget the GHSC Plate Match right here at 6:00PM Monday Night June 6, 2011.  That's tomorrow!!  We'll see you right here next Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 4:00PM.  Practice hard, all the competitors at GHSC LOVE A GOOD CHALLENGE!!  Always remember your priorities in competition:  1st) Safety  2nd) Accuracy  and not until you have those fundamentals firmly ingrained do you worry about 3rd) SPEED!!  Remember how it always is in handgun competition: 

 

                            "YOU CANNOT MISS FAST ENOUGH TO WIN, TRY AS YOU MAY!!"

 

Hal